As the sun goes down on Cola beach

“There is nothing more appetizing, caressing and musical than the sunset… and yeah its eye-catching too.”

“Cola beach?” said someone, “do you know how to get there”, as I sat sipping my coffee at the Chattai Shack at Agonda. I whip up my phone to search, waiting for the result, however the lady has moved on to the manager, who explains the path, including the fact that there is a good restaurant there which will serve our lunch requirements. “Very nice place, you must go!” he adds.

I was still waiting for the results on my phone thanks to the bad wireless connection. It loads and shows me a path 4 minutes (1.8 kms) away from our current position. Everyone seems eager for a change of scene from Agonda, and soon we are off.

I sat as a navigator, trusting my navigation system to guide us. However I realized how miserably it fails when we came across a bridge which was too narrow. 2 bikes side by side might have issues let alone a car.

As we took a U-turn it showed me another option. This took a big roundabout, and I decided to put my faith once more, as we drove a much longer distance. “20 minutes” barked my phone, while I try to ignore the new information, hoping no one heard it too. To make it worst my navigation system soon told me that I was going off-track, the road was not mapped yet. Not exactly surprising as it was more of a rocky, muddy, car jolting, back-breaking path which seemed to lead up a rocky mountain.

Soon we could drive no more as the path was too steep, and a local guy told us to walk further. I wondered for a moment if we are at the right place. Surely the beach cannot be at the top of the rocky hill. A mud road lead down, then a flat path, ah a few steps down, a mud road again, more steps, yet more steps.. and I can see parts of a beautiful beach ahead. I am thinking meanwhile “Keep in mind Anurag you need to climb these steps back again on the return journey, and this time it will be uphill and …”.

My thoughts are interrupted as I see the view. Its spectacular, lets worry about the back journey later. I order a beer from the restaurant “Blue Lagoon” which we pass through and make myself comfortable in the shade of the restaurant, while some decide to face the harsh sun at the beach. The midday sun is too bright for any decent snaps or for my bald head.

Few hours later the sky is fiery as the sun goes down, with its mystical rays reflected in the sea. Pure magic really! The sun lets its magnificence be shown one last time before dimming away for the night. The bad road, the longer than expected drive, the walk.. everything was worth watching the sun go down at Cola beach.

Rather than capturing the usual wide angle beach snaps, I decide to use my 100mm lens to show a perspective of the sitting arrangement on slightly higher ground at the restaurant with the hay padded roof. The hay straws added to the beauty of the scene, while the bamboo laid back chairs indicate the comfy lazy setup.

A note from the Photographer

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